[Brainstorming]Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

[Davran]

Commander:
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Ramp:
Arbor Elf
Elves of Deep Shadow
Elvish Mystic
Fyndhorn Elves
Llanowar Elves
Oracle of Mul Daya
Search for Tomorrow
Mana Vault
Sol Ring
Wild Growth

Tutors:
Crop Rotation
Vampiric Tutor
Green Sun's Zenith
Demonic Tutor
Beseech the Queen
Sylvan Scrying
Expedition Map

Card Draw/Selection:
Read the Bones
Sensei's Divining Top
Sylvan Library
Necropotence
Phyrexian Arena

Removal:
Fleshbag Marauder
Acidic Slime
Shriekmaw
Duplicant
Abrupt Decay
Deglamer
Go for the Throat
Beast Within
Dismember
Krosan Grip
Putrefy
Maelstrom Pulse
Damnation
Vraska the Unseen

Skullbriar Utility:
Bramblewood Paragon
Champion of Lambholt
Varolz, the Scar-Striped
Corpsejack Menace
Forgotten Ancient
Immaculate Magistrate
Profane Command
Contagion Clasp
Fireshrieker
Tangle Wire
Whispersilk Cloak
Rancor
Canopy Cover
Doubling Season

Recursion:
Eternal Witness
Regrowth
Phyrexian Reclamation
Crucible of Worlds

Misc. Utility:
Lotleth Troll
Scavenging Ooze
Imperious Perfect
Ant Queen
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Skullclamp
Culling Dais
Lightning Greaves
Garruk Wildspeaker

Lands:
City of Brass
Command Tower
Dryad Arbor
Gilt-leaf Palace
Homeward Path
Llanowar Wastes
Overgrown Tomb
Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Strip Mine
Tainted Wood
Twilight Mire
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Verdant Catacombs
Wasteland
Woodland Cemetery
Yavimaya Hollow
Forest x 12
Swamp x 8

The general idea is to cast a turn 2 Skullbriar and go to town on whomever has the weakest board position or is playing the strongest general. From there, there's plenty of cheap removal and sources of evasion to keep up the beats long enough to get to 21 commander damage.

I've tried to skew the ramp options to cards that come down on turn 1 in order to maximize a turn 2 Skullbriar. This also maximizes my ability to re-cast him on turn 3 if he eats removal or some sort of flash blocker. It's also worth noting that most of the 1 drop mana dorks are elves for Immaculate Magistrate, they make perfect fodder for Skullclamp, and they all give a +1/+1 counter to Skullbriar with a Varolz, the Scar-Striped in play.

Should the Skullbriar plan go sour, Kokusho, the Evening Star + Sac Outlet + Recursion is the backup plan.

[FTW]

I've played against Skullbriar online a bit and found it plays best when you play hyperaggressive and try to win with commander damage. Skullbriar's ability highly favours attacking and connecting every single turn - otherwise you are not getting full bang out of his ability - and he is essentially immune to sweepers having haste and keeping all his counters!

However, he is vulnerable to spot removal and has no natural evasion. He's particularly vulnerable to -1/-1 counters, since Contagion Clasp or Fume Spitter basically locks Skullbriar out of existence :(.

So I would run:

Whispersilk Cloak
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of Vengeance
Lightning Greaves
Rancor
Asceticism
Brawn
Melira, Sylvok Outcast


Corpsejack Menace, Doubling Season, graft creatures and some proliferate effects seem good too.
If you're going to abuse +1/+1 counters, I'd be tempted to run Lotleth Troll.


If you do include Melira as -1/-1 protection, might as well include:
Birthing Pod
Survival of the Fittest
Carrion Feeder
Puppeteer Clique
Rendclaw Trow
for the random Melira combo.

Beyond that I would just play a ton of utility and removal and some protection, since Skullbriar can win the game on his own very quickly if you let him do his thing.

[FTW]

Hmmm...


//Commander: 1
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

//Mana Dorks: 4
Arbor Elf
Deathrite Shaman
Sol Ring
Mana Crypt

//Ramp: 5
Nature's Lore
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Yavimaya Elder
Solemn Simulacrum
Garruk Wildspeaker

//Equipment: 5
Whispersilk Cloak
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Vengeance

//Other Buffs: 4
Rancor
Asceticism
Brawn
Forgotten Ancient

//Proliferation: 3
Doubling Season
Corpsejack Menace
Contagion Engine

//Tutors: 10
Vampiric Tutor
Worldly Tutor
Sylvan Tutor
Imperial Seal
Expedition Map
Demonic Tutor
Green Sun's Zenith
Survival of the Fittest
Birthing Pod
Natural Order

//Removal & Utility: 20
Abrupt Decay
Beast Within
Fleshbag Marauder
Ashes to Ashes
Go for the Throat
Vendetta
Tragic Slip
Dismember
Acidic Slime
Putrefy
Maelstrom Pulse
Bramblecrush
Damnation
Decree of Pain
Shriekmaw
Wickerbough Elder
Eternal Witness
Deadwood Treefolk
Puppeteer Clique
Pernicious Deed

//This is EDH Bro: 8
Sylvan Primordial
Terastodon
Duplicant
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Sepulchral Primordial
Genesis
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Liliana of the Dark Realms

//Melira combo: 3
Melira, Sylvok Outcast
Carrion Feeder
Woodfall Primus

//Lands: 37
Dryad Arbor
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Bayou
Overgrown Tomb
Misty Rainforest
Wooded Foothills
Marsh Flats
Windswept Heath
Bloodstained Mire
Polluted Delta
Verdant Catacombs
Llanowar Wastes
Command Tower
City of Brass
Gilt-Leaf Palace
Golgari Rot Farm
Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Wasteland
Strip Mine
Homeward Path
Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
Volrath's Stronghold
8 Forest
7 Swamp


That's just a rough guess. Maybe you should actually play with a much lower curve and go all aggro? IDK. GL. Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

[Davran]

Stuff

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I like the direction the list you posted is heading, and I think that's the way I'm going to go as well. I'm planning on brewing tonight...so we'll see where this goes.

It occurred to me on my otherwise boring drive home from work that Varolz, the Scar-Striped has a nice synergy with Skullbriar. You can essentially let Skullbriar grow by doing his thing, and when he is eventually killed just put him in the graveyard for scavenge shenanigans. The "exile" effect will return him to the command zone, counters intact, for another bout.

[Davran]

I've been brewing...and I've come up with this janky combo for an "infinitely" large Skullbriar:

Plan A:

Aluren + Cloudstone Curio + Hunting Moa/Bond Beetle and some other three drop.

Plan B:

Aluren + Cloudstone Curio + Ulvenwald Bear + Bone Shredder

This approach has a few pros and cons...

Pros:

1. It's instant speed, which means your opponent will instantly regret saying "no blocks".

2. The pieces aren't super terrible on their own. Ok, so Ulvenwald Bear and Bond Beetle are pretty terrible...but there are actually worse magic cards.

3. You don't actually need Skullbriar to make this work, although he is the best target. Other alternatives include Lotleth Troll, Inkmoth Nexus and Varolz, the Scar-Striped.

4. You can kill someone as early as turn 4 about as often as you can win the lottery.

Cons:

1. "In response, [insert removal spell here]"

2. It's a 4 card combo.

3. No redundancy or protection for the main engine pieces (Aluren and Cloudstone Curio).

4. You need a 5th card to give Skullbriar some sort of evasion if you use Plan A.

Any thoughts on how to make this more resilient/better...or is this just a terrible idea that's destined to fail spectacularly?

[Aggro_zombies]

Ring of Kalonia is pretty funny with Skullbriar, as is Ring of Xathrid - although that latter one is less useful since you want to max out on ways to force Skullbriar through.

[FTW]

Ring of Kalonia is pretty funny with Skullbriar, as is Ring of Xathrid - although that latter one is less useful since you want to max out on ways to force Skullbriar through.

Hahaha wow I forgot those Rings even existed. Kalonia actually looks good!

There's also that Land with 4,T: target creature is unblockable this turn. Rogue's Passage? I would add that.

Tempting Licid would be good if you\re going to play with random Aluren dorks. Just "lure" some dork and attack with it and Skullbriar, Skullbriar goes unblocked, then unattach the Licid before the creature dies and attach it to some other dork next turn....

Akroma's Memorial probably doesn't hurt in multiplayer...

[TsumiBand]

Would Unspeakable Symbol be terrible here?

[Davran]

Ring of Kalonia is pretty funny with Skullbriar, as is Ring of Xathrid - although that latter one is less useful since you want to max out on ways to force Skullbriar through.

Ring of Kalonia seems sweet. The counters on upkeep portion seems slow as hell, but the trample is certainly needed. The regeneration ring might be worth it too simply as a way to protect Skullbriar from removal if I end up taking the "bad" combo approach.

There's also that Land with 4,T: target creature is unblockable this turn. Rogue's Passage? I would add that.

Tempting Licid would be good if you\re going to play with random Aluren dorks. Just "lure" some dork and attack with it and Skullbriar, Skullbriar goes unblocked, then unattach the Licid before the creature dies and attach it to some other dork next turn....

Akroma's Memorial probably doesn't hurt in multiplayer...

Rogue's Passage is on the short list of "must have" lands next to Shizo, Death's Storehouse.

I didn't know Tempting Licid existed...but it seems pretty decent. I've been debating Golgari Decoy, but the Licid seems like a much better version of that effect. Of course I could always take the ponies approach and rock a sick Prized Unicorn instead...and isn't there some equipment that has this effect too?

Would Unspeakable Symbol be terrible here?

I don't see how since Skullbriar keeps the counters. It actually seems pretty good.

[Anarky87]

I love me some Skullbriar. And it seems that just making him try and dome people as fast as you can with general damage is the most consistent way to go, and I also include a counter theme in the deck. I run the usual means of keeping him protected, with a number of ways to be able to save him from getting tucked. Also, I run a Jarad, Golgari Lich with my counter theme as a means of just killing everyone at the table if I need to. There were a few cards mentioned in here that I hadn't thought about, and I have a few slots I'm toying with, so I'll give them a try.

[Davran]

I love me some Skullbriar. And it seems that just making him try and dome people as fast as you can with general damage is the most consistent way to go, and I also include a counter theme in the deck. I run the usually means of keeping him protected, with number of ways to be able to save him from getting tucked. Also, I run a Jarad, Golgari Lich with my counter theme as a means of just killing everyone at the table if I need to. There were a few cards mentioned in here that I hadn't thought about, and I have a few slots I'm toying with, so I'll give them a try.

Do you have a list posted somewhere? I'm always looking for inspiration...

[Anarky87]

I'll have to type one out as I don't think I have a list on my computer for it. I'll see if I can get it posted before work.

[FTW]

Yeah, I can't think of a way to prevent tuck effects other than giving him Hexproof (doesn't stop Hallowed Burial/Terminus) and maxing out on creature tutors (Worldly, Sylvan, GSZ, Chord of Calling, Survival, Fauna, Birthing Pod).

Bounce is just about as bad as tuck, since it removes all the counters. Recasting him for GB is irrelevant since you'll still be starting from scratch trying to push a 1/1 through, only it won't be turn 2 anymore and opponents will have more developed board states...

So you probably want every way to give him shroud/hexproof imaginable.
Sylvan Safekeeper
Asceticism
Lightning Greaves
Vines of Vastwood
Whispersilk Cloak

etc..

But that still doesn't stop mass-bounce like Evacuation.

Another way to protect him would be to simply run multiple sacrifice outlets and sacrifice him in response to bounce/tuck.

Attrition
Carrion Feeder
Culling Dias

etc...

With sufficient GY recursion (to return him from GY) or sufficient ramp (to recast him from Command Zone), you could set it up so he's easy to deploy again. GY hate effects are irrelevant since exiling him will just send him back to the Command Zone and he'll never lose those counters. Hmmm... that might be the way to go. Playing a BG sacrifice/recursion shell with ways to force him through by either killing enemy creatures (Attrition/Grave Pact) or giving him evasion and adding counters.

[Anarky87]

. Hmmm... that might be the way to go. Playing a BG sacrifice/recursion shell with ways to force him through by either killing enemy creatures (Attrition/Grave Pact) or giving him evasion and adding counters.

More or less the path I went down. Played a pretty good amount of "Sacrifice a creature:" effects like Grim Backwoods, Greater Good, Jarad, High Market, etc. Then boost him with counters and push through with evasion. I've found Fireshrieker to be pretty good at 1 shotting players.

[Anarky87]

Finally got around to this:

-Creatures-
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Jarad, Golgari Lich
1 Eternal Witness
1 Golgari Guildmage
1 Mephidross Vampire
1 Necropolis Regent
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Glissa, the Traitor
1 Corpsejack Menace
1 Sakura Tribe Elder
1 Spike Weaver
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Moriok Replica
1 Jugan, the Rising Star
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Gravecrawler
1 Bloodghast
1 Cytoplast Root-Kin
1 Vigor
1 Filth
1 Brawn

-Artifacts-
1 Blade of the Bloodchief
1 Bonehoard
1 Expedition Map
1 Fireshrieker
1 Golgari Keyrune
1 Golgari Signet
1 Skullclamp
1 Golgari Cluestone
1 Contagion Clasp
1 Contagion Engine
1 Loxodon Warhammer

-Planeswalkers
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Vraska the Unseen

-Enchantments
1 Asceticism
1 Black Market
1 Dauthi Embrace
1 Death's Presence
1 Doubling Season
1 Gravepact
1 Greater Good
1 Predatory Hunger
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Rancor
1 Shape of the Wiitigo

-Instants-
1 Golgari Charm
1 Momentous Fall
1 Putrefy
1 Strength of the Tajuru
1 Tainted Strike

-Sorceries-
1 Blessings of Nature
1 Damnation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Increasing Savagery
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Rain of Thorns
1 Jarad's Orders

-Lands-
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Grim Backwoods
1 High Market
1 Llanowar Reborn
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Oran Rief, the Vastwood
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Strip Mine
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Tainted Wood
10 Forest
7 Swamp

I think that's less than 100, because apparently I've taken some stuff out, and that's all that I found in my deckbox. I didn't want to invest heavily into this deck at the time, and I just wanted something I could throw together pretty quickly and play some games. If decide to put some money into it, I'd definitely put some of the higher dollar cards in there.

[Davran]

List

Thanks for sharing!

Has Golgari Charm been worth it's slot? It's one of those cards I have in the pile of "maybe" cards but never end up actually slotting in because I'm not sure it does enough. That said, I suppose if the regeneration mode was going to be good in a deck, this one is probably it.

I can't believe I forgot about Champion of Lambholt. That thing is perfect in here.

Nice find on Dauthi Embrace! That's exactly the kind of thing I've been looking for as an alternative to Rogue's Passage.

What do you think about Canopy Cover as another evasion + protection card?

Lastly, I was cracking some prize packs from the pre-release this weekend, and stumbled on Savage Summoning. It seems like it might be good in a more competitive version of this deck, especially vs. other competitive decks. I also think Witchstalker might have some potential as another hard to kill body that grows as the game plays out.

[Anarky87]

Has Golgari Charm been worth it's slot? It's one of those cards I have in the pile of "maybe" cards but never end up actually slotting in because I'm not sure it does enough. That said, I suppose if the regeneration mode was going to be good in a deck, this one is probably it.

I haven't played too many games where it comes up, but it has been kinda randomly useful sometimes. Though it could probably be something with a better effect.

I can't believe I forgot about Champion of Lambholt. That thing is perfect in here.

She can be pretty beast mode. She usually gets smoked pretty fast, but with something like Asceticism out, it can start to get out of hand.

Nice find on Dauthi Embrace! That's exactly the kind of thing I've been looking for as an alternative to Rogue's Passage.

I was running Rogue's Passage in my Kozilek EDH deck as a way to push through general kills. I might try to find a way to fit it in here as well.

What do you think about Canopy Cover as another evasion + protection card?

It probably has a place. Giving Skullbriar more means of evasion is never a bad thing, and that has just about everything we'd want out of a card.

Lastly, I was cracking some prize packs from the pre-release this weekend, and stumbled on Savage Summoning. It seems like it might be good in a more competitive version of this deck, especially vs. other competitive decks. I also think Witchstalker might have some potential as another hard to kill body that grows as the game plays out.

The 2 cards I was looking at out of M14 for my deck were Kalonian Hydra and Vastwood Hydra. Both seem like decent additions. Also, Primeval Bounty might be a thing, too. Seems like anytime I cast a equipment/instant/sorcery/enchantment = Skullbriar getting +3/+3 permanently could be legit. And the other modes aren't too bad either.

PS: Also, saw Predator Ooze in the OP. That is definitely going in my deck.

[Davran]

I was running Rogue's Passage in my Kozilek EDH deck as a way to push through general kills. I might try to find a way to fit it in here as well.

Yeah, I use it in my Intet, the Dreamer deck since Intet doesn't really do anything if she can't connect. The is a little less of a big deal there since I tend to have plenty of lands in play, but I worry that it may be a little too steep of an activation for an aggressive deck. Shizo, Death's Storehouse is much more manageable, as is Dauthi Embrace.

The 2 cards I was looking at out of M14 for my deck were Kalonian Hydra and Vastwood Hydra. Both seem like decent additions. Also, Primeval Bounty might be a thing, too. Seems like anytime I cast a equipment/instant/sorcery/enchantment = Skullbriar getting +3/+3 permanently could be legit. And the other modes aren't too bad either.

Kalonian Hydra is nuts for sure. Vastwood Hydra is cute at best, but I don't think it really does enough. I mean, the most common way it's going to die is via a Wrath of God or some similar effect, so the counters just sort of evaporate. You could of course cast it for some absurd amount, sacrifice it to a Culling Dias or something, and reap the Skullbriar goodness...but it seems like it might be a little win-more at that point. Also, it has no evasion of any kind for whatever that's worth.

[Anarky87]

It'll probably end up being less awesome then I thought. But the thought of casting it for a lot, saccing it to Jarad and have everyone lose life, plus pump Skullbriar tickles my interest. Or sac it to Greater Good for a mess of cards and the same pump. I'll give it a whirl when I find one.

[Davran]

I threw this list together last night...

General:
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Creatures:
Korozda Guildmage
Lotleth Troll
Nether Traitor
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Viridian Emissary
Eternal Witness
Fleshbag Marauder
Glissa, the Traitor
Hunting Moa
Predator Ooze
Tempting Licid
Varolz, the Scar-striped
Brawn
Corpsejack Menace
Cytoplast Root-kin
Disciple of Bolas
Forgotten Ancient
Acidic Slime
Lord of Extinction
Shriekmaw
Vulturous Zombie
Necropolis Regent

Instant:
Crop Rotation
Noxious Revival
Savage Summoning
Abrupt Decay
Go for the Throat
Naturalize
Strength of the Tajuru
Beast Within
Putrefy
Momentous Fall

Sorcery:
Green Sun's Zenith
Reanimate
Demonic Tutor
Explore
Nature's Lore
Profane Command
Regrowth
Sylvan Scrying
Praetor's Grasp
Damnation
Harmonize
Blessings of Nature

Artifact:
Expedition Map
Infiltration Lens
Mana Vault
Sensei's Divining Top
Sol Ring
Contagion Clasp
Culling Dais
Ring of Kalonia
Contagion Engine

Enchantment:
Rancor
Canopy Cover
Oversold Cemetery
Sylvan Library
Necropotence
Phyrexian Arena
Doubling Season
Death's Presence

Planeswalkers:
Garruk Wildspeaker
Vraska the Unseen

Lands:
Bojuka Bog
City of Brass
Command Tower
Dryad Arbor
Gilt-leaf Palace
Grim Backwoods
Homeward Path
Llanowar Wastes
Miren, the Moaning Well
Oran-rief, the Vastwood
Overgrown Tomb
Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Strip Mine
Tainted Wood
Twilight Mire
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Verdant Catacombs
Woodland Cemetery
Snow-covered Forest x10
Snow-covered Swamp x8